The lockdown continues…

Greetings! Thank you for your prayers and for holding the ropes for those of us who have gone down into the well. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these ever-increasingly strange times in which we live. They have often been called ‘uncertain,’ but we know that they are not uncertain to our Lord who remains on His throne. He is still sovereign. He is never taken by surprise. And we can trust in Him always. 

So far, Colombia has over 35,000 confirmed cases of covid-19, over 11,000 of which are in Bogota. The city continues to be on lockdown—a shelter-at-home—with limited travel in the city. I can now go out everyday instead of every other day. Each city in Colombia has its own set of regulations. As of now, the president of Colombia has extended the country's lockdown to July 1. Since most of my everyday work involves visiting people in their homes and since many of the people I visit are older and/or have multiple medical issues, I have been unable to continue my work as usual. I have done the best I can to continue working from home using phone calls, WhatsApp, and Zoom.

Although travel in the city is limited, I have been able to assist two families in particular. I have been able to take some more food and money to the “Corey” family I mentioned in my previous newsletter. I am grateful to Stan, a missionary who used to serve in Bogota, for assisting me financially with helping this family with whom he worked with while in Colombia years ago. In this family, there have recently been a few cases of covid-19. They are recovering but still need our prayers.

I have also been able to take some food and medicine to an older couple, “Ted & Amy,” who have been diagnosed with covid-19. They have been living in one of the medical shelters I visit. They are currently living in a hotel. I wasn’t able to visit them directly, but I was able to take the food and medicine to the hotel. This couple already have multiple medical concerns and now have covid-19 on top of all of all of that.  

Thank you for supporting me with your prayers. Pray that the Word of God would speed ahead and be glorified (1 Thes 3:1) despite all that is going on now. Pray that God would use all of this for the spread of the gospel and the growth and health of His church. 

 2 Timothy 2:8-10 

Remember Jesus Christ, 

risen from the dead, 

the offspring of David, 

as preached in my gospel, 

for which I am suffering, 

bound with chains as a criminal. 

But the word of God is not bound! 

Therefore I endure everything 

for the sake of the elect, 

that they also may obtain the salvation 

that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Don’t stop remembering Jesus Christ. In all the mayhem is going on in the world today, keep on remembering Jesus Christ, that He is Lord, that He is on His throne, that if you are resting on Him your sins have been forgiven, that there is now no condemnation for those found in Him. That is something in which we should rejoice. It is this gospel message that we must be preaching to a lost and dying world. It is the hope we proclaim to the hopeless.

Moreover, no matter what obstacle with which we are faced— imprisonment, disease, lockdowns, persecution, riots, whatever— we know that the Word is not bound, that God is not hindered. He will accomplish what He has purposed to accomplish. Let us therefore move forward with great boldness and confidence, willing and ready to endure anything for the sake of seeing the gospel speed ahead to every tribe, nation, people group, and language for the glory of God.

Prayer Points:

• That Christ be glorified!

• The covid-19 crisis/lockdown

• The “Corey” family,
• “Ted & Amy”

• Mobilizing the Wounaan

• Evangelizing the Katio/Chami

• Developing an effective strategy

• New work in Vaupes

• Mobilizing local churches